Blog Categories

1. Write a blog post explaining what kinds of categories you would use on your blog to stay organized and reach your target audience. How would these categories help the business grow?

Categories I would use to stay organized on my blog would be Events, Safety/Health, and Miscellaneous. I think having an Events category on my blog would help promote any sort of events I put out for my business such as a discounted weekend for grooming, baths etc. This way, people could check out the photos from each event that took place at my business which would hopefully provoke them to wanting to join our next! A blog about safety would be interesting for my viewers because they are pet owners and interested in the safety of their animals. This would include Halloween Safety, Snow Safety, Beach Safety etc. This would attract customers as well as other animal lovers to check out my blog for news on Safety and Health. The traffic on my blog from this topic could interest the viewer in checking out my hotel and spa as well. Miscellaneous would be anything that does not fit into one category or is too small to put into its own. Topics in this category could include best dog toys, grooming tips, best products to use on the fur etc.

Blog Posts commented on: It Boggles The Mind - Manuel Acero, Lori's Social Media Blog, and Look Who's Sharing Lenah Parente.

Personality

When does it make sense to add personality to a post, and when does it not? 

     I believe the time to add personality to a post really depends on what you are posting about. If you are trying to market details to your customers adding a bit of personality such as your personal favorites can connect with buyers. This also includes supporting causes such as Breast Cancer walks, AIDS walk etc. Also, it depends on what type of business you are running. If you are an entertainer i.e YouTube personality, reality tv, etc I believe including your personality is important because that is your brand. 

     In comparison, companies such as Target, IBM, and Urban Outfitters post(s) containing  personality is not as important or relevant to business. Though I do agree with the lecture notes "a company that doesn't distinct the personalities behind it, the corporate guidelines, and ideals are all that usually come through on a blog." So, adding a blog or creating a personality with your customers is what can really connect you with them. So in short, I really believe adding personality to a post depends on what you are trying to effectively communicate within that post, whom your audience is, and what type of company you are.  

Twitter Connections

Write a blog post describing what search words you used to find your connections. Did you have to play around with more than one key term to start seeing the right results? Who did you end up finding?

Key words I found to be the most effective in retrieving connections on Twitter were pets and San Diego pets. I had to play around with these search inputs to find the right connections I wanted to make and thought about how my business would be attractive to their followers. I followed PetsSmart, Pet Photography, San Diego Pet Park, Cutest Pets, Helen Woodward, San Diego Pets Mag, Pets for Patriots and more. I think each of theses Twitter pages/business accounts would be most beneficial if we cross connected our followers as we all love pets.  

Visual Social Media

Discuss [on your blog]: Find examples of 2 or 3 business that are similar to yours. See what visual social media they are using and how they are using it.  Is it effective?

One business very similar to my own is The Pampered Pet Hotel, which is located in Woodland Hills, CA. The visual social media they are using is Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and Foursquare. Though, I will note I had to go out and search for every other platform but Facebook. This was the only one linked on their page at the moment besides Twitter. I would say their Facebook is the most effective website; on Instagram their last post was about three weeks ago. Their Google+ is not very active at all, with two reviews (one 2 years ago). Foursquare is not very active as well, with their last review in January. So overall, I would say while they have littered amounts of visual social media and they need to be more active on them. Also, I would suggest they link all of these on their main page. Their Facebook page seems to be the most effective source of information.

The second business I will review which is similar to my own, D Pet hotel. They have three locations Hollywood, CA, Chelsea, NYC, and Scottsdale, AZ. At first glance (just as a website perspective) it looks really stunning! Also, the homepage image is very cute! I definitely think this appeals to serious pet owners with extra cash flow. They have listed on their site Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. I also found their page on Instagram but only for their NYC location. They have a Foursquare but are not very active on it. They have a Google+ for the LA location but are inactive. I was surprised to find a LinkedIn but it is inactive as well. So I would say the visual social media platforms they are using are effective, such as Facebook and Twitter. 

Visual Platforms

Compare the 4 most widely used visual platforms. Which would work the best for your product or service?

I definitely think Facebook is a vital asset to my business's success. There are 955 active users on the website so it makes sense to join the masses. I really think this would be the best way to promote my business and make it successful. In this way, I can use status updates to post events, coupons, promo offers, and create daily/weekly interaction with my customers. Also, as being a customer myself I know that if I enjoy a business I definitely check out their Facebook page and like it to see photos, offers and learn more about the company.  YouTube could be great, but I do not think I would have enough consistent content to keep posting videos all the time. So, I think while it could be a great asset it is not as effective as say Facebook would be or an active level. Google+ I also do not think many consumers of my business would use. While i think it is effective it is not as nearly useful because I feel a customer would look at my Facebook much sooner than Google+. I think LinkedIn could be useful to reach some of the other industry professionals. We would be able to utilize our skills together to create more of a combined force in the industry.

Scheduled Posts

I believe these posts will engage the viewer for a few reasons. Firstly, there is a buyer incentive for fall. I think the promotional deal will help draw in new customers and revive old customers as well. Secondly, by showing posts of our dogs playing and having fun at the hotel we are drawing in viewers wanting to have their dog(s) engage in similar activities. Thirdly, by placing meme's and wishing everyone happy holidays we are showing a bit our personality (people like that) as well as enjoying a good laugh on their news feed! So, I feel these posts will engage with the audience in a manner that not only intrigues them to our business but provides comedic relief for fellow pet lovers. 

Business Growth and Potential Opportunities

Write a blog post talking about why you chose the businesses you did to like as your page. How might you use this feature of Facebook to grow your business?

The businesses I chose to like on Facebook were specially related to business promotion. I figure, liking businesses that are not Pet Hotels (competitors) and instead liking local Pet Stores, Humane Societies, and Animal Hospitals will increase traffic in my business. In this way, we could cross reference our promotional values between customers. This would enable both of us to grow together and someone who enjoys my business will be intrigued by the recommendation or preference I have for other business since I am in the same industry. I think this would be the best way for both businesses to benefit and help each other out!

On your blog, define the difference between post reach and post engagement. Why is knowing the difference important?

    Post reach is how someone stumbles upon your page, whether this happened organically such as scrolling through their news feed or visiting a page. Another example of the post reach, viral reach, would be an extension of the original term. In example, one of your friends comments on a post and you saw the post and found the page that way. Engagement would be how many people are discussing your page currently such as the people whom have shared, liked, commented etc. So the difference is pretty evident, post reach is someone whom finds your page, and engagement is someone liking, commenting, or sharing your page. 

After defining the terms, describe how can a business can use Facebook Insights to better serve their customers.

    A business on Facebook can can monitor their insight as a way to determine the success of their business over time. This can be viewed from ongoing progress or currently, and help figure out the best ways to promote their business. They could do this by taking a look at whom their business is attracting and pulling in (demographics, psycho-graphically etc).